- Matching (Score) |
- Our verdict |
- Competing TVs |
- TV appearance |
- Where to buy |
- Contrast and black detail |
- HDR effect quality |
- Factory color reproduction |
- Color reproduction after calibration |
- Smoothness of tonal transitions |
- Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions |
- Blur and motion smoothness |
- Console compatibility and gaming features |
- Input lag |
- Compatibility with PC |
- Viewing angles |
- Daytime performance |
- TV features |
- Apps |
- Playing files from USB |
- Sound |
- Panel details
Hisense UR8S Review
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Panel type: LCD VA Refresh rate: 180Hz Brand: HISENSE Resolution: 3840x2160 System: VIDAA Model year: 2026
This review is an English translation of the Polish original. Read the original on Wybierz.tv.
The Hisense UR8S is the cheapest RGB Mini-LED TV in the Chinese manufacturer's 2026 line-up. Its job is fairly simple: it’s meant to be a much cheaper way to get into the new three-colour RGB backlighting. Compared with the flagship UR9S we tested earlier, it’s noticeably cheaper, yet still uses the same technology. So the question is, where did Hisense have to cut costs and how much do we actually lose by choosing the cheaper model?
HISENSE UR8S - Our verdict
8.2
Overall rating
The Hisense UR8S is above all a very versatile, higher-end TV that in most situations simply performs well or very well. It's not a model aimed only at cinema, gaming or watching in a bright living room. Its biggest advantage is that it can combine all those uses in a single set and doesn't have any one obvious weak point. In terms of picture, the UR8S has a lot to offer. Contrast is high, HDR can look very impressive, and the brightness level is more than enough for daytime viewing. Add very good image processing and smooth motion handling. RGB Mini-LED also gives it a very wide colour palette and it's clear this technology has a lot of potential. However, remember it doesn't completely change the character of an LCD TV. In tougher scenes you can still see the limits of local dimming, and very high colour saturation isn't always maintained to the same degree as on simple test patterns.
A major strength of the UR8S is, first and foremost, its everyday usability. The TV works well for sport, is very suitable for gaming, and the high brightness and matte finish make a big difference in a bright room. On top of that, the VIDAA system runs quickly, and Hisense has kept many features that remain useful for normal TV use. That's why we see the UR8S primarily as a TV for people who want one solid screen for everything. RGB Mini-LED is an interesting extra and provides some real benefits, but the technology itself isn't the only reason this model performs well. What really sells it is that it's complete, well equipped and highly versatile.
Advantages
Very high contrast and deep blacks
High peak brightness
Potentially wider colour gamut thanks to RGB backlighting
Excellent image processing and upscaling
Panel with refresh rate up to 180 Hz
Very good gaming performance
Good viewing angles for a Mini-LED LCD
Matte finish and great performance in daylight
Fast VIDAA and lots of user features
Support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos and DTS
Disadvantages
The full potential of RGB Mini-LED isn't always realised in films
HDR brightness can deviate from the filmmakers' vision
Lack of proper HGiG implementation
The VIDAA system is still missing a few apps
Movies and series in UHD quality7.4
Classic TV, YouTube7.6
Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)7.4
Gaming on console8.4
TV as a computer monitor8.5
Watching in bright light9.5
Utility functions9.4
Apps8.3
Sound quality7.8
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HISENSE UR8S - Competing TVs in this price range
HISENSE UR8S - TV appearance
HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI) Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
Build quality: Good
Stand type: Central
Bezel color: Graphite
Stand: Height adjustment
Flat design: No
Accessories: Stand
If we look at the UR8S's appearance, it quickly becomes clear this is a design we're already familiar with. The TV's styling strongly echoes the Hisense U7S Pro. The difference, of course, is that the U7S Pro uses a more conventional combination of quantum dots and Mini-LED backlighting, whereas here we have RGB Mini-LED. But let's leave the technology for later. The UR8S's looks are simply unremarkable. There's nothing particularly flashy or unusual, though there's little to criticise about the build quality. The bezels around the screen are slim, and the central stand is height-adjustable, so there's room beneath the bottom edge of the TV for a soundbar. The UR8S is not one of the slimmest TVs on the market. The cabinet is fairly thick, so when wall-mounted the screen will sit noticeably proud of the wall. The only more distinctive touch is a small RGB Mini-LED logo on the front of the cabinet, along with a rainbow marking that reveals the type of backlight we're dealing with here.
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HISENSE UR8S - Contrast and black detail
8/10
Local dimming function: Yes, number of zones: 936 (26 x 36)
Result
267,450:1
Result
48,550:1
Result
19,450:1
Result
14,850:1
Result
10,800:1
We tested the Hisense UR8S in the 65-inch size, and this variant uses a VA panel, so the native contrast is already very good and reaches much higher values than IPS panels. The most important thing, though, is the local dimming. In our unit we counted 936 local dimming zones, and you can clearly see they can significantly help in dark scenes. In films where much of the screen is black, the UR8S performs really well. Blacks are deep, black letterbox bars don't glow navy-blue, and in some shots the effect can even slightly resemble OLED. Of course only slightly, because the difference is still noticeable. You notice it most easily with small, bright elements on a black background. Then a slight halo can appear around the object. It's not large and during normal viewing it shouldn't be very distracting, but it shows we're still dealing with a TV with 936 zones, not a display that can switch off every pixel individually.
Halo effect and black detail visibility:
HISENSE UR8S - HDR effect quality
6/10
Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, HLG
Luminance measurements in HDR:
Result
1241 nit
Result
269 nit
Result
594 nit
Result
188 nit
Result
1452 nit
UR8S is a higher-end Mini-LED, so you could expect plenty of brightness. Indeed, on a synthetic test pattern peak brightness reached about 2200 nits. That’s a very good result, but as always what the TV does in normal film scenes matters much more. Here the results are a bit more mixed. In bright scenes with lots of light on screen, the UR8S can deliver very strong HDR. Brightness then gets up to around 1500 nits, so the image is very intense and has a lot of punch. It’s worse with small bright elements on a dark background. The TV noticeably dims them to preserve deep blacks and avoid excessive blooming. As a result, things like single stars or small specular highlights can be only around 200 nits. And here HDR is no longer as impressive. So the local dimming algorithm works effectively, but it comes at a cost — sometimes it sacrifices the brightness of small details too much in favour of contrast.
Colours
For RGB Mini-LED TVs, colours should be evaluated a little differently than usual. If we look only at the panel’s capabilities, the UR8S performs excellently. We measured about 94% coverage of BT.2020 and virtually full DCI-P3. Those are among the highest figures currently seen in LCD TVs, and this is where the potential of the RGB backlight is most apparent. The problem is that this potential isn’t always used in real scenes. When we ran the same measurements on patterns overlaid with a film-like background, saturation of some colours started to fall noticeably. Individual zones can’t always control the three RGB components with the same precision when the scene becomes more complex. It’s most noticeable with blue and magenta. On simple test patches they can look very strong, but in tougher scenes samples of those colours clearly shrink. In other words, the UR8S has huge potential, but the TV can’t always take full advantage of it in every scene.
BT.2020 color gamut coverage and primary color luminance
| Data set | BT.2020 | P3 | R | G | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic patterns | 93.9% | 98.4% | 86% | 80% | 45% |
| Film measurements | 74.2% | 86.0% | 74% | 58% | 81% |
BT.2020
BT.2020 and P3 – average color gamut coverage (percent of the target gamut).
R, G, B – average primary color luminance relative to target (percent).
Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)
Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)
The UR8S can produce a really striking image and that's hard to deny. Most highlights are bright enough, so when watching HDR films you can really tell you're dealing with a TV with considerable capabilities. It's only in more demanding scenes that its limitations become apparent. A good example is a scene from the film "Pan", where a very bright sky, blue tones, white clouds and yellow sunlight sit side by side. The UR8S still outputs a lot of light, but the colours start to lose saturation. The sky is no longer as intensely blue, and the other colours also look a bit washed out. And that's what it lacks most compared with the best TVs: the ability to hold strong, saturated colours in the most demanding film scenes.
HDR luminance chart:
UR8S supports all the major HDR formats currently available on the market, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+. That's a big plus, because despite the TV's high peak brightness, Dolby Vision can still clearly help. With movies in that format the UR8S handles the brightest parts of the picture better and can retain more detail that in regular HDR10 more often blends together or blows out. As a result, bright clouds, reflections and lights have more detail and simply look more accurate.
Static HDR10
Dynamic: Dolby Vision
Factory color reproduction
5.1/10
For evaluating the factory colours we used Filmmaker mode, which is supposed to show the image as close as possible to how the content was prepared. And if you look at the white balance alone, the UR8S performs quite well. There’s no strong tint that immediately jumps out, although as brightness increases a bit too much blue and red start to appear, with a corresponding lack of green. Colour errors are therefore visible in measurements, but the image itself doesn’t look bad.
We have much bigger reservations about how the UR8S manages image brightness. In SDR the gamma stays around 1.9–2.0 for most of the range instead of the target 2.4. In practice this simply means the image is too bright, especially in the midtones. Shadows are lifted too much, so the picture loses some depth. A similar tendency is visible in HDR. The EOTF curve sits above the reference value for a large part of the range, so the UR8S again brightens the image more than it should. This isn’t a case of the TV lacking brightness, because it has plenty, but of how it manages that brightness. As a result, HDR material can look very striking, but not always exactly as it should.
Color reproduction after calibration
7.5/10
Hisense offers quite a lot of calibration options, and in SDR you can achieve a really good result with them. After adjustment the white balance is practically even across the whole range, and colour errors fall to very low values. The UR8S can be set very precisely here. HDR looks a little different. The white balance can also be noticeably improved, although at the highest brightness levels larger deviations start to appear. Most interesting, however, is the behaviour of the EOTF curve. Even after correctly setting it on test patterns, the UR8S can still interpret brightness in its own way when watching films. Depending on the scene, parts of the picture are slightly brightened and others darkened compared with how they should look. This shows that the algorithms controlling the backlight have quite a large influence on the final image. Calibration therefore allows colours to be improved very well, but we are not able to completely 'turn off' the way the UR8S manages brightness in HDR.
HISENSE UR8S - Smoothness of tonal transitions
9.3/10
Tonal transitions on the UR8S perform really well. In most scenes colours shift between successive shades practically without any visible steps or banding. This applies to both darker and lighter parts of the picture. Only in very extreme shades of grey can you notice small imperfections. It's a bit worse with Dolby Vision. In the same scenes faint banding is easier to spot, especially in the darker parts of the picture. It's still good, but because of that difference the rating is slightly lower.
Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions
8/10
Smooth transition function
Image without overscan on the SD signal
The big plus of the UR8S is its use of the MediaTek Pentonic 800 processor, and digital image processing is one of this model’s stronger points. The TV handles smoothing tonal transitions very well, especially with poorer-quality material. The feature responsible for this effect works effectively without overprocessing the picture. Even on a medium setting it can noticeably reduce visible banding and artefacts without heavily blurring details. Upscaling itself also performs very well. Lower-resolution content is displayed cleanly, edges look natural, and the image isn’t over-sharpened. The UR8S simply copes very well with weaker signals, and in that respect it’s one of its clear strengths.
HISENSE UR8S - Blur and motion smoothness
7.8/10
Maximum refresh rate of the panel: 180Hz
Film motion smoothing option: Yes
Blur reduction option: Yes
BFI function 60Hz: Yes, 120Hz (double contours)
BFI function 120Hz: Yes, 240Hz (double contours)
Brightness drop with BFI: 69%
The UR8S is equipped with a panel that has a native 180 Hz refresh rate, so right away it offers very strong potential for smooth motion. The panel itself performs really well, although some limitations typical of VA panels are still visible. Smearing is relatively low for this type of screen, but during faster motion, especially on darker backgrounds, it can still be noticed, particularly if you compare the same image to OLED TVs.
Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):
Blur (BFI function enabled):
Blur (1080P@340Hz):
Frame interpolation is another plus. The UR8S uses a Motion Enhancement feature that includes two separate sliders for motion smoothness. That lets you fine-tune the effect to your liking, from subtle smoothing of films to much stronger motion for sports. The processor handles it well and, with sensible settings, doesn't introduce too many artefacts.
HISENSE UR8S - Console compatibility and gaming features
8.5/10
- ALLM:
Yes
- VRR:
Yes
- VRR range:
48 - 330Hz
- Dolby Vision Game Mode:
Yes
Correct implementation of HGIG:
No - 1080p@120Hz:
Yes
- 1440p@120Hz:
Yes
- 4K@120Hz:
Yes
- Game bar:
Yes
In terms of gamer features the UR8S stacks up really well. The TV supports virtually everything you'd expect from a modern console or PC display. It has ALLM, VRR, and 4K at 120 Hz. There's also Dolby Vision in game mode, so when using, for example, an Xbox Series X you don't have to give up that HDR format. PC gamers get even more options. The panel can run at 4K and 180 Hz, and dropping to Full HD can push the refresh rate as high as 330 Hz. There's also a Game Bar that lets you quickly view key info and change gaming-related settings. The only real shortcoming is a proper implementation of HGiG. When enabled, the TV still interferes with HDR brightness mapping, so we don't get the effect intended by that standard. Apart from that, the UR8S is very well equipped for both consoles and a powerful PC.
HISENSE UR8S - Input lag
9.8/10
The input lag on the UR8S is very low. With a 60 Hz signal we measured around 15 to 16 ms, while switching to 120 Hz brings the delay down to roughly 9 to 10 ms. Importantly, we recorded similar results with HDR and Dolby Vision, so using those formats does not noticeably increase latency. In practice the response to controls is very fast, and even demanding gamers shouldn't have reason to complain.
| SDR | HDR | Dolby Vision |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p60: 16 ms | 2160p60: 15 ms | 2160p60 DV: 15 ms |
| 1080p120: 10 ms | 2160p120: 9 ms | 2160p120 DV: 9 ms |
| 2160p60: 16 ms | ||
| 2160p120: 10 ms |
HISENSE UR8S - Compatibility with PC
8.5/10
Chroma 444 (max. resolution and refresh rate): Yes
Font clarity: Good
Readability of dark text and shapes: Good
Input lag in PC mode (4K, max. refresh rate): 9ms
Matrix subpixel arrangement: BGR
Max refresh rate: 180Hz
G-Sync: Yes
The UR8S also works very well as a large computer monitor. The TV correctly handles 4:4:4 chroma at maximum resolution and refresh rate, so small fonts remain legible and don't have heavily jagged or coloured edges. The BGR subpixel layout used isn't much of an issue here and text still looks good, although nitpicky users will notice they're not perfect.
It also offers a refresh rate of up to 180 Hz at 4K, G-Sync support and very low input lag, which at the maximum refresh rate is about 9 ms. So if you want to use the UR8S not just for a console but also for gaming on a powerful PC, the TV is very well suited to that.
HISENSE UR8S - Viewing angles
5.5/10
Brightness drop at an angle of 45 degrees: 74%
The viewing angles on the UR8S are quite good, helped by the RGB backlight. Thanks to the three-colour LEDs, colours viewed off-axis hold up better than in many conventional Mini-LED TVs that use white or blue backlights. Of course it’s still not on a par with OLED, and even less so with QD-OLED. At wider viewing angles the picture loses a little contrast and saturation, but for an LCD TV the result is genuinely decent.
HISENSE UR8S - Daytime performance
9.5/10
Panel finish: Matte
Reflection suppression: Very Good
Black levels during daytime: Average
UR8S handles daytime viewing very well. First, it's a very bright TV — in SDR we measured about 1500 nits, so even with a lot of ambient light the picture remains punchy and readable. Another big plus is the matte coating, which disperses reflections from windows and lamps very effectively. Instead of a distinct reflection on the screen, you see more of a soft glow that is much less distracting while watching. That said, the coating works best when you view the TV head-on. From wider angles it begins to resemble a satin finish and reflections become more pronounced and therefore more intrusive. In a brightly lit room blacks also lose some of their depth, but at such high brightness that's not a major issue. Overall, the UR8S is simply a very good choice for a bright living room.
Panel brightness
Hisense UR8S: 1468 cd/m2
HISENSE UR8S - TV features
9.4/10
System: VIDAA
System performance: Very good
- HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 48Gbps
- Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI)
- Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
- TV reception: DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-C
Classic features:
- Recording to USB (terrestrial TV): Yes
- Recording programming: Yes
- Picture in Picture (PiP): No
- RF remote control (no need to aim): RF
- Backlit remote control: Yes
- Teletext: Yes
- Audio only mode: Yes
- Bluetooth headphones support: Yes
- Simultaneous Bluetooth headphones & TV audio: Yes
Smart features:
- AirPlay: Yes
- Screen mirroring (Windows Miracast): Yes
- Voice search: Yes
- Voice search in native language: Yes
- Ability to connect a keyboard and mouse: Yes
Classic features
Hisense is one of those manufacturers that, fortunately, hasn’t abandoned the classic TV features. The UR8S lets you record programmes to USB, schedule recordings, has teletext and an "audio-only" mode. You can also use the TV speakers and Bluetooth headphones at the same time. The only real missing feature is picture-in-picture (PiP). The remote control also deserves praise. It’s well made, backlit and has plenty of buttons, so you can access most key functions without digging through menus. It communicates with the TV by radio, so you don’t need to point it directly at the screen.
VIDAA system
The VIDAA system on the UR8S is very fast and responsive. Apps launch smoothly, navigating the menus is fluid, and during testing we had no major complaints about its performance. The app library is now large enough to include all the major streaming services. There are also extra Smart features. The UR8S supports AirPlay, Miracast, voice search in Polish and the ability to connect a keyboard and mouse. VIDAA may not offer as much freedom as Google TV, but for everyday TV use it essentially provides everything you need.
Sound connection options
HDMI audio:
Other audio outputs:
- Toslink: Yes
Wireless audio:
- Bluetooth: Yes
Supported audio formats (external HDMI eARC audio):
- Dolby Digital Plus 7.1: Yes
- Dolby True HD 7.1: Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC): Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD: Yes
- DTS:X in DTS-HD MA: Yes
- DTS-HD Master Audio: Yes
Senior accessibility
- Numeric keyboard on TV: Yes
- Font size adjustment: Yes
- Audio description: Yes
HISENSE UR8S - Apps
8.3/10
HISENSE UR8S - Playing files from USB
8.5/10
| Maximum photo resolution: | Supported photo formats: |
|---|---|
| 4 Mpix | JPEG |
| 6 Mpix | HEIC |
| 8 Mpix | PNG |
| 10 Mpix | GIF |
| 12 Mpix | WebP |
| 16 Mpix | TIFF |
| 20 Mpix | BMP |
| 24 Mpix | SVG |
| 28 Mpix | |
| 32 Mpix |
The USB media player works properly and handles most common files without major problems. Our main reservation is the handling of photos. The UR8S is rather selective about image resolutions. For example, it can open 16 or 32 Mpix photos yet refuse to display 10, 12 or 20 Mpix files. It's hard to find any logic in that, so if you often view photos directly from a USB stick you may sometimes run into a file the TV simply won't open.
HISENSE UR8S - Sound
7.8/10
92dB
Maximum volume
Supported codecs (TV speakers)
Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Dolby True HD 7.1
Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC)
Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD
DTS:X in DTS-HD MA
DTS-HD Master Audio
In terms of sound, the UR8S performs very similarly to the lower-tier Hisense U7S Pro, and that's no coincidence. The manufacturer has used practically the same 2.1.2 layout with a total power of 50 W. There's an additional subwoofer at the back of the enclosure, while the other speakers are positioned in the lower part of the TV. For built-in speakers the result is quite good. The subwoofer adds some bass, so the sound isn't as flat as in basic TVs, and the whole setup can also play really loudly. In our measurements the maximum loudness reached about 92 dBC. It's not, of course, a replacement for a good soundbar, but it's perfectly adequate for casual TV watching or YouTube.
Sound Quality Test:
Acoustic Measurements
92dBC (Max)
75dBC
HISENSE UR8S - Panel details
Software version during testing: V01.09.60W.Q0624
Panel uniformity and thermal imaging:
Backlight Type: Mini-LED RGB
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